GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Kent County woman says thieves took the tools she needs for work, and the sheriff's office is now investigating.
It happened when Rebecca Perez's truck was broken into overnight off of 60th Street Southeast and Division Street.
"It tore me apart," she says.
She woke up Monday morning to her truck, and her boyfriend's vehicle, broken into. Her tools for work as a hairstylist were gone.
"I freaked out, you know," Perez says. "I thought, 'Oh my God, what am I going to do? They're irreplaceable.'"
She currently works at Fantastic Sam's Cut and Color on Alpine Avenue. Now, she's without more than $1,000 worth of supplies.
"There's a pair of shears in there that I spent $450 on, you know, and then going up from there, I have another set that cost around $400," Perez says.
Doing hair isn't just her passion, it's her livelihood.
"Whoever stole those, it was probably something petty to them. But for me, that's how I feed my family. That's how I keep a roof over our heads," Perez says. "I can't go to work without my tools."
The Kent County Sheriff's Office says this is an open case.
"The officer (who came), she found a spot that looks like that's where they got into my truck," Perez says. "And she found a lot of good fingerprints."
Since posting what happened on a neighborhood page on Facebook, the community is reaching out.
"Some stylists in my community that I don't even know really personally have reached out and offered me tools that they don't use any longer," Perez says. "So I'm probably going to jump on that for right now, just to save money in hopes that my tools will turn up."
She has a message for whoever stole her supplies.
"You can even just come throw it on my porch tonight or leave it in my yard, whatever. But just know that when you take things like that, you mess with people's livelihoods," Perez says. "You don't realize the impact it has on other people. And I think it's important that they know that."
The Kent County Sheriff's Office is encouraging neighbors in the Green Meadow MHC Mobile Home Park with any information or surveillance video to reach out. They're also urging everyone to lock their car doors and take valuables inside.
Perez says this isn't the first time her car has been messed with in this community. Now, she's looking into getting her own security camera.
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THE KENT COUNTY SHERIFF'S IS ENCOURAGING NEIGHBORS WITH ANY INFORMATION OR SURVEILLANCE VIDEO TO REACH OUT.
REBECCA SAYS THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME HER CAR HAS BEEN MESSED WITH... AND SHE'S NOW LOOKING INTO GETTING HER OWN SECURITY CAMERA.
KIRK?